Car cup holder for vehicle and tumbler for cup holder

ABSTRACT

A tumbler for use in a car cup holder may include a top-open, bottom-closed, pipe-like internal body for accommodating a beverage; an external body, surrounding the wall of the internal body at a distance to form an internal gap between the external body and the internal body; and a magnetic, metallic heating element disposed at a lower side of the internal body.

CROSS-REFERENCE(S) TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No.10-2016-0169556, filed on Dec. 13, 2016, the entire contents of which isincorporated herein for all purposes by this reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a car cup holder and a tumbler for usein the car cup holder by which the temperature of a beverage containedin the tumbler may be maintained at a desired level in a car.

Description of Related Art

A car is generally equipped with a cup holder for accommodating abeverage container. Car cup holders are configured for a simple holdingfunction. Some vehicle models are disposed with cup holders featuring acooling and warming function in addition to a holding function. However,there are various problems with car cup holders having such a heating orcooling function. Since a car cup holder is generally disposed in anarrow space for the convenience of use, such as an armrest, there isalways the risk of an accident such as burning of the user's hand. Inaddition, the heating or cooling function of the car cup holder mayoperate even when there is no beverage container present in the car cupholder, resulting in the needless consumption of energy. Therefore,there is a need to overcome such problems.

The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section isonly for enhancement of understanding of the general background of theinvention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form ofsuggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to aperson skilled in the art.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Various aspects of the present invention are directed to providing a carcup holder and a tumbler for use in the car cup holder by which thebeverage contained in the tumbler is heated to various desiredtemperatures, and by which a user is prevented from suffering from aburn.

Various aspects of the present invention are directed to providing atumbler for use in a car cup holder, including: a top-open,bottom-closed, pipe-like internal body for accommodating a beverage; anexternal body, surrounding a wall of the internal body at a distancewhich forms an internal gap between the external body and the internalbody; and a magnetic, metallic heating element disposed at a lower sideof the internal body.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the tumbler mayfurther include a wax pellet, disposed within the internal gap, whichlinearly changes volume in accordance with the temperature of a beverageaccommodated in the internal body; and a floating magnet, which floatson and moves with the wax pellet.

In another exemplary embodiment, the floating magnet is disposed along acircumference of the internal body, forming a ring shape.

Various aspects of the present invention are directed to providing a carcup holder for the tumbler, including: a top-open, cylindrical holderbody configured for accommodating a tumbler; and an electromagneticinduction heater, disposed in a lower side of the holder body, includinga conductive coil for producing an induction current in the heatingelement.

In one embodiment, the car cup holder may further include a temperaturesensor, disposed in a circumference of the holder body, configured fordetecting the temperature of a beverage contained in the tumblerdepending on the position of the floating magnet; and a controllerconfigured for controlling the operation of the electromagneticinduction heater depending on the beverage temperature detected by thetemperature sensor.

In another exemplary embodiment, the temperature sensor has a seesawstructure in which a magnet and a signal device are disposed atrespective opposite end portions thereof, and as the sensor's magnetchanges position depending on the position of the floating magnet, thesignal device generates various signals which represent the temperaturesof the beverage.

In another exemplary embodiment, the controller is configured tocontrols the operation of the electromagnetic induction heater to heatthe beverage to a first temperature, a second temperature, or a thirdtemperature depending on the beverage temperature detected by thetemperature sensor. When the temperature reaches one of the first to thethird temperatures, the controller terminates the operation of theelectromagnetic induction heater.

In another exemplary embodiment, the controller detects the floatingmagnet to determine whether or not a user can grasp the tumbler.

The methods and apparatuses of the present invention have other featuresand advantages which will be apparent from or are set in more detail inthe accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein, and thefollowing Detailed Description, which together serve to explain certainprinciples of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a car cup holder and a tumbler for use ina car cup holder according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention; and

FIG. 2, FIG. 3, and FIG. 4 are views illustrating that a floating magnetof the tumbler changes in position with beverage temperatures inaccordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

It should be understood that the appended drawings are not necessarilyto scale, presenting a somewhat simplified representation of variousfeatures illustrative of the basic principles of the invention. Thespecific design features of the present invention as disclosed herein,including, for example, specific dimensions, orientations, locations,and shapes will be determined in part by the particular intendedapplication and use environment.

In the figures, reference numbers refer to the same or equivalent partsof the present invention throughout the several figures of the drawing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of thepresent invention(s), examples of which are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings and described below. While the invention(s) willbe described in conjunction with exemplary embodiments, it will beunderstood that the present descriptions is not intended to limit theinvention(s) to those exemplary embodiments. On the contrary, theinvention(s) is/are intended to cover not only the exemplaryembodiments, but also various alternatives, modifications, equivalentsand other embodiments, which may be included within the spirit and scopeof the invention as defined by the appended claims.

FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a car cup holder and a tumbler for use ina car cup holder. FIG. 2, FIG. 3, and FIG. 4 are views illustrating afloating magnet of the tumbler which changes in position with beveragetemperatures in accordance with various embodiments of the presentinvention.

A tumbler for use in a car cup holder in accordance with the presentinvention is a top-open, bottom-closed pipe including an internal body101 configured for accommodating a beverage; an external body 103,surrounding the wall of the internal body 101 at a distance to form aninternal gap 105 between the internal body and the external body; and amagnetic, metallic heating element 201 disposed at a lower side of theinternal body 101.

A car cup holder for the tumbler of the present invention includes atop-open cylindrical holder body 301 for accommodating the tumbler andan electromagnetic induction heater 303, disposed in a lower side of theholder body 301 and having a conductive coil configured for producing aninduction current in the heating element 201.

For a car cup holder with a heating function, a beverage container isheated in an induction manner using a Positive Temperature Coefficient(PTC) element or a thermoelectric element as the heating element 201. Inthe present case, since the beverage container itself is heated, heatcannot be conducted above a predetermined temperature to prevent theincidence of a burn.

To solve the present problem, a dual-structure tumbler having aninsulation layer may be used. However, the contents of a dual-structuretumbler are difficult to heat in an inductive manner. Even when thecontents are heated, the holder body 301 of the cup holder is alsoheated; hence, there still remains the likelihood of a burn incident.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1,a tumbler for use in a car cup holder has a dual structure including aninternal body 101 and an external body 103 in which a magnetic metallicheating element 201 is disposed. The car cup holder is disposed with anelectromagnetic induction heater 303 having a coil that can heat theheating element 201 in an electromagnetic induction manner.

In greater detail, when the tumbler is held by the car cup holder and acurrent passes through the coil of the car cup holder, a magnetic fieldis formed around the coil. In the presence of a magnetic field, an eddycurrent is induced in the heating element 201. The heating element 201,having its own resistance, is heated when current runs through theresistor.

As electromagnetic induction, rather than direct induction, isconducted, the tumbler for use in a car cup holder is configured to heatits contents without issue, even though it has a dual structure. Inaddition, the external body, with which a user's hand comes intocontact, is thermally insulated from the internal body 101 by the dualstructure, wherein the tumbler prevents the incidence of a burn.

Further, the holder body 301 of the cup holder is not heated and is thusnot causative of a burn upon contact therewith, so that it can heat thecontents of the tumbler to a higher temperature.

The tumbler may further include a wax pellet 107, disposed within theinternal gap 105, which linearly changes volume in relation to thetemperature of the beverage accommodated in the internal body 101; and afloating magnet 109 floating on and moving with the wax pellet 107.

The temperature of the beverage contained in the tumbler may bedetermined before control of the heating element is performed. In anexemplary embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, FIG.2, FIG. 3, and FIG. 4, the temperature of the beverage is detected usingthe wax pellet 107 and the floating magnet 109. The wax pellet 107linearly changes volume in proportion to the beverage temperature and isdisposed within the internal gap 105 of the tumbler, while the floatingmagnet 109 is disposed on the wax pellet 107.

When the beverage is heated, a portion of the heat is transferred to thewax pellet 107. The wax pellet 107 changes volume in proportion to theheat transferred thereto. Therefore, the position of the floating magnet109 moves in relation to the waxes thermal expansion. The temperature ofthe beverage can be detected by determining the position of the floatingmagnet 109 relative to the cup holder.

The floating magnet 109 may be disposed along the circumference of theinternal body 101, forming a ring shape.

Forming a ring shape, the floating magnet 109 allows the temperature ofthe beverage to be detected even when the tumbler is held, irrespectiveof the position of a temperature sensor 401 disposed in the cup holder.

The tumbler may further include a temperature sensor 401, disposed inthe circumference of the holder body 301, configured for detecting thetemperature of the beverage depending on the position of the floatingmagnet 109; and a controller 500 configured for controlling theoperation of the electromagnetic induction heater 303 depending on thebeverage temperature detected by the temperature sensor 401.

The temperature sensor 401 has a seesaw structure in which, as a magnetdisposed at one end portion moves depending on the position of thefloating magnet 109, a signal device disposed at the other end portiongenerates various signals to indicate the temperature of the beverage.

Excessive heating boils the beverage in the tumbler, which is apt tocause an accident and may waste energy. Hence, the controller may stopthe operation of the electromagnetic induction heater 303 when thebeverage reaches a desired temperature.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1,the temperature sensor 401 is disposed in the cup holder and has aseesaw structure in which a magnet is provided at one end portion whilea signal device is provided at the other end portion. As the floatingmagnet 109 moves vertically within the internal gap of the tumbler, themagnet of the temperature sensor 401 changes position, with theconcomitant positional change of the signal device due to the seesawstructure. The temperature of the beverage can be detected based on theposition of the signal device. Through the controller 500, theelectromagnetic induction heater 303 is configured to regulate thetemperature of the beverage to a desired temperature.

Depending on the beverage temperature determined from the temperaturesensor 401, the controller 500 controls the operation of theelectromagnetic induction heater 303 to heat the beverage topredetermined temperatures, that is, a first temperature 601, a secondtemperature 603, or a third temperature 605. When the temperaturereaches one of the predetermined temperatures, the controller 500 mayterminate the operation of the electromagnetic induction heater 303.

It is ideal to finely control the temperature of the beverage. Beveragesthat can be contained in the tumbler may be roughly classified intoseveral kinds in consideration of their use in cars. Beveragetemperatures suitable for the user to drink may be determined accordingto their classification, and the temperatures may be used as referencesto which the beverages contained in the tumbler are preferably heated.Predetermined target temperatures to which beverages will be heated inthe tumbler prevents an increase in the production cost of the cupholder and makes it easy to regulate the temperature of the beverage.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, for example, threetemperatures may be provided: 40±3° C., as the first temperature 601,suitable for milk for babies; 75±3° C., as the second temperature 603,suitable for storing tea including green or red tea; and 85±3° C., asthe third temperature 605, suitable for preparing coffee.

When seated in the cup holder, a tumbler is determined to be or not tobe suitable for the operation of the cup holder as the controller 500detects the presence or absence of the floating magnet 109.

It is important to determine whether a tumbler located in the cup holderis suitable for use in the cup holder of the present invention tooperate and control the cup holder according to the design establishedin an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, preemptivelypreventing an accident.

Accordingly, a tumbler is determined to be suitable for use in the cupholder when the floating magnet 109 is detected, and then theelectromagnetic induction heater 303 is operated, thus preventing anaccident that may occur when a container unsuitable for the design ofthe present invention is seated in the cup holder.

As described hitherto, the car cup holder and the tumbler in accordancewith the present invention can maintain temperatures within a widerrange compared to a cup holder utilizing a conventional inductiontechnique. The present invention may prevent the incidence of burns asneither the cup holder nor the tumbler is heated at particular areasthereof with which a user comes into contact.

In addition, the temperature of the beverage contained in the tumbler isdetected in a non-contact manner and controlled to improve theconvenience of the user.

For convenience in explanation and accurate definition in the appendedclaims, the terms “upper”, “lower”, “internal”, “outer”, “up”, “down”,“upwards”, “downwards”, “front”, “rear”, “back”, “inside”, “outside”,“inwardly”, “outwardly”, “internal”, “external”, “forwards”, and“backwards” are used to describe features of the exemplary embodimentswith reference to the positions of such features as displayed in thefigures.

The foregoing descriptions of specific exemplary embodiments of thepresent invention have been presented for purposes of illustration anddescription. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit theinvention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously manymodifications and variations are possible in light of the aboveteachings. The exemplary embodiments were chosen and described in orderto explain certain principles of the invention and their practicalapplication, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to make andutilize various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, as wellas various alternatives and modifications thereof. It is intended thatthe scope of the invention be defined by the Claims appended hereto andtheir equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A tumbler for use in a car cup holder,comprising: a top-open, bottom-closed, pipe-like internal bodyconfigured for accommodating a beverage; an external body, surrounding awall of the internal body at a distance to form an internal gap betweenthe external body and the internal body; and a magnetic, metallicheating element disposed at a lower side of the internal body.
 2. Thetumbler of claim 1, further comprising: a wax pellet, provided withinthe internal gap, which linearly changes in volume in accordance with atemperature of the beverage accommodated in the internal body; and afloating magnet, which is configured to float on and move along with thewax pellet.
 3. The tumbler of claim 2, wherein the floating magnet isdisposed along a circumference of the internal body, forming a ringshape.
 4. A car cup holder for the tumbler of claim 1, comprising: atop-open, cylindrical holder body for accommodating the tumbler; and anelectromagnetic induction heater, disposed in a lower side of the holderbody, including a conductive coil for producing an induction current ina heating element.
 5. The car cup holder of claim 4, further comprising:a temperature sensor, provided in a circumference of the holder body,for detecting a temperature of the beverage contained in the tumblerdepending on a position of the floating magnet; and a controllerconfigured for controlling operation of the electromagnetic inductionheater depending on a beverage temperature detected by the temperaturesensor.
 6. The car cup holder of claim 5, wherein the temperature sensorhas a seesaw structure in which a magnet and a signal device areprovided at respective opposite end portion thereof, and as the magnetchanges in position depending on a position of the floating magnet, thesignal device is configured to generate signals that representtemperatures of the beverage.
 7. The car cup holder of claim 6, whereinthe controller is configured to control operation of the electromagneticinduction heater to heat the beverage to a first temperature, a secondtemperature, or a third temperature depending on the beveragetemperature detected by the temperature sensor, and when thetemperatures reach one of the first to the third temperatures, thecontroller terminates operation of the electromagnetic induction heater.8. The car cup holder of claim 5, wherein the controller is configuredto detect the floating magnet to determine whether or not a user graspsthe tumbler.